How to maintain your computer

St. John UMC Computer Classroom

Who am I?Gerod Truelove17 years of experience Bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky

in Computer ScienceCurrently works for a local manufacturing

facility as their Network Administrator10 years experience running own small

business

How to maintain your computerPreventionMaintain performanceMaintain equipmentTroubleshooting tips

PreventionOne of the best ways to maintain your

computer is to prevent problems from occurring.

Best prevention strategies1. Install anti-virus software2. Install anti-spyware software3. Install a firewall4. Keep your operating system updated5. Keep your applications updated6. Remove unwanted or unused software7. Education

Prevention: 1. Anti-virus softwareWhat is anti-virus software?

Definition: "anti-virus" is protective software designed to defend your computer against malicious software. Malicious software, or "malware" includes: viruses, Trojans, keyloggers, hijackers, dialers, rootkits, and other code that vandalizes or steals your computer contents.

How does it work? Most anti-virus software companies uses signatures to match

specific patterns of data within files on your computer. Heuristics method Sandbox method

Prevention: 1. Anti-virus softwarePopular anti-virus software

Symantec (Norton)McAfeeAVG (Free)Avast (Free)KasperskyTrend Micro (PC Cillin)

You can download these free software packages from www.download.com

Prevention: 1. Anti-virus softwareI don’t have anti-virus software. What do I do?

Get it as soon as possible. My recommendations…Free version: Avast (don’t forget to register!)Paid version: Trend Micro

I have anti-virus installed on my computer. Now what?Keep your anti-virus software updated

Signature updatesProgram updates

Setup a weekly full system scanIf a virus has been detected, deal with it

immediately. Update the software, then perform another full system scan.

Prevention: 1. Anti-virus softwareOther

Lowered performanceMultiple computers

Questions?

Prevention: 2. Anti-spyware softwareWhat is anti-spyware software?

Spyware is the name given to a variety of harmful programs that secretly install themselves on a computer without the user's consent. Once installed, this spyware software gathers information about the user, everything from personal data to Internet browsing habits.

How does it work? Anti-spyware software works very similar to how anti-virus software

works. Anti-spyware software looks for patterns through out your computer and matches those patterns to a database of known threats. If a threat is found, the software notifies the user to take action.

NOTE: Anti-spyware software is not a replacement for anti-virus software. They are to be used in conjunction with each other.

Prevention: 2. Anti-spyware softwarePopular anti-spyware software

Symantec (Norton)McAfeeAd-Aware (Free)Spybot – Search and Destroy (Free)SuperAntiSpyware (Free)Spyware Doctor Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (Free)*Windows Defender (Free)

You can download these free software packages from www.download.com

* Most popular free version

Prevention: 2. Anti-spyware softwareI don’t have anti-spyware software. What do I do?

Get it. My recommendations…Free version: Malwarebytes Anti -MalwarePaid version: Malwarebytes Anti -Malware

I have anti-spyware software installed on my computer. Now what?Keep your anti-spyware software updated

Signature (database) updatesProgram updates

Setup a weekly full system scanIf a threat has been detected, deal with it

immediately. Update the software, then perform another full system scan.

Prevention: 2. Anti-spyware softwareOther

Most free anti-spyware programs require user interaction to keep it updated.

Most free anti-spyware programs do not have a real-time scanning engine however, Spybot – Search and Destroy does.

Do not use the same software vendor for both anti-virus and anti-spyware. Use different software vendors to provide a type of layered protection.

Questions?

Prevention: 3. FirewallWhat is a firewall?

Definition: A "firewall" is an term to describe a specialized defense system for a computer network. The term comes from construction, where specialized fire-prevention systems involve fire-resistant walls being placed strategically in buildings and cars to slow the spread of a fire. In the case of computers, the term describes hardware or software that prevents unauthorized electronic access to a network computer systems.

How does it work? A firewall works by detecting inbound and outbound network traffic

and prevents or allows that traffic depending on user settings

Prevention: 3. FirewallHardware

Usually deliveries protection to the most vulnerable position in your network. Most new routers have firewalls built-in.

Prevention: 3. FirewallSoftware

Needed if directly connected to the Internet.Needed on mobile devices.Recommended as a best security practice.

Prevention: 3. FirewallPopular software firewalls

Symantec (Norton Personal Firewall)McAfee Personal FirewallZoneAlarm (Free)*Sygate (Free)AVG Anti-virus plus firewallTrend Micro Internet SecurityBuilt in Windows OS

You can download these free software packages from www.download.com

* Most popular free version

Prevention: 3. FirewallIs my Windows Firewall turned on (Windows

XP)?Start Control Panel Security Center

Windows FirewallLink

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/security/winfirewall.mspx

Prevention: 3. FirewallOther

Firewalls prevent networked devices from unauthorized threats, however, it also prevents legitimate devices from communicating as well.Sharing filesSharing printersPlaying games

Questions?

Prevention: 4. Operating system updatesWhat is an operating system?

In simple terms, an operating system is software that controls the allocation and usage of hardware resources such as memory, CPU time, disk space, and input and output devices. The operating system (OS) bridges the gap between the computer hardware and the user.

Windows (7, Vista, XP) Mac OS Unix Linux

Why do I want to update my operating system? Computer vulnerabilities are discovered daily and it is necessary for

software companies to “patch” their software when these vulnerabilities are discovered. Failure to do so could result in problems down the road.

Example: Infected icon vulnerability Bug fixes and improvements

Prevention: 4. Operating system updatesHow do I update my operating system?

Most Windows users have automatic updates enabled. This means that when Microsoft releases new updates for your computer, your computer will automatically download and install them. Usually you will then be asked to reboot your computer.

Manually install updates by going to the Windows Update website

Are my Automatic Updates enabled (Windows XP)?Start Control Panel Security Center

Automatic Updates

Prevention: 4. Operating system updatesOther

Window Updates often can update your hardware drivers

Microsoft Updates

Questions?

Prevention: 5. Application updatesWhy do I want to update my application?

You need to update your applications for the same reasons why you update your operating system.

Example: Infection Adobe PDF vulnerability Bug fixes and improvements

At a minimum keep your Internet facing applications updated. Most times, these types of software will download updates automatically and ask you to install them.Adobe FlashAdobe PDFJava

Prevention: 5. Application updatesOther

Best practice – Keep all software updated

Questions?

Prevention: 6. Remove unwanted or unused softwareIf you are not using or planning to use a

piece of software on your computer, then remove it.Reduced performance

Sluggish startup timesAnother possible security vulnerabilityAdditional problems

Example: Toolbar and BB&T’s website

How do I remove programs (Windows XP)?Start Control Panel Add or Remove

ProgramsSelect the program and Remove

Prevention: 6. Remove unwanted or unused softwareQuestions?

Prevention: 7. EducationEducation yourself

Be weary of P2P (peer-2-peer) file sharing applications. A lot of these services have files that are infected with malware. Limewire, Frostwire, Bearshare, Kaaza

Be mindful of pop-up messages that say your computer is infected with hundreds of viruses. Unless this message came from your security software, you are possibility staring at an infection.

Questions?

Maintain PerformanceMaintain the performance of your computer

by following these guide lines.1. Remove unwanted or unused software2. Delete Internet Cache3. Check Disk4. Defragmentation5. Disk Cleanup6. Use 3rd party software tools7. Tweak the startup routine

Maintain PerformanceRemove unwanted or unused software

For maximum performance, keep your computer running lean

Example: Friend who evaluates software

How do I remove programs (Windows XP)?Start Control Panel Add or Remove

ProgramsSelect the program and Remove

Maintain PerformanceDelete Internet CacheIf your Internet browsing experience does not

perform like it used to, or if you are experiencing odd behavior from previously viewed websites, then it maybe time for you to delete your Internet cache.

How do I delete my Internet cache (Windows XP)?

Start Control Panel Network and Internet Connections Internet Options

From the General tab, click “Delete…”

Maintain PerformanceCheck DiskSometimes problems with your hard drive can affect

performance of your computer. When trying to maintain or restore the performance of your computer, it is good idea to run a check disk.

Do not run a check disk dailyExample: Replaced hard drive due to slow

performance

How do I delete my Internet cache (Windows XP)?Start Control Panel Network and Internet

Connections Internet OptionsFrom the General tab, click “Delete…”

Maintain Performance Disk Cleanup

The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk by searching your disk for files that you can safely delete. You can choose to delete some or all of the files. Use Disk Cleanup to perform any of the following tasks to free up space on your hard disk:

Remove temporary Internet files. Remove downloaded program files. For example, ActiveX

controls and Java applets that are downloaded from the Internet.

Empty the Recycle Bin. Remove Windows temporary files. Remove optional Windows components that you are not using. Remove installed programs that you no longer use.

Start Run Type “cleanmgr”

Maintain PerformanceDefragmentationAfter some time your computer’s hard drive

can get fragmented. You can increase the performance by defragmenting your hard drive regularly.

Start Run Type “dfrg.msc”

Maintain PerformanceUse 3rd party software tools

CCleaner (Free) Advanced SystemCare (Free)

Maintain PerformanceTweak the startup routine

Microsoft System Configuration Utility or MSCONFIG for short is used to tweak your startup routine. This is a very powerful utility that will help in troubleshooting and diagnosing problems. You can disable unnecessary programs thus increasing the performance of your computer.

Start Run Type in “msconfig”

Maintain EquipmentElectricity

Surge Suppression Computer Network cable Telephone cable

Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) Heat

Maintain good air flow Keep fans cleans